Thursday, April 21, 2016

Red (The Angry Bird) Goes Green On Earth Day In Support Of Historic Signing Of Paris Agreement

Red (The Angry Bird) Goes Green On Earth Day In Support Of Historic Signing Of Paris Agreement

NEW YORK, April 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Earth Day and the historic signing of the Paris agreement on climate change today, Red continues to support the United Nations as part of their "Angry Birds for a Happy Planet" campaign.

To commemorate the day the United Nations Postal Administration has issued special edition stamps featuring Red, and a new Public Service Announcement video, featuring the U.S. voice talent from "The Angry Birds Movie," Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, and Maya Rudolph, was also released today to support the Paris agreement.

The Paris agreement sends a clear signal that the transformation of the global economy to low-emission, climate-resilient growth is inevitable, beneficial and already under way. To keep the global spotlight focused on climate change and build on the strong political momentum from Paris, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited all Heads of State and Government to participate in the signing ceremony. A record number of well over 165 countries are expected to sign the landmark agreement to tackle climate change at a ceremony at UN headquarters today.

Red, who was appointed Honorary Ambassador for Green on the International Day of Happiness by the United Nations on March 20, 2016, "toured" in over 20 countries to promote the #AngryBirdsHappyPlanet campaign aimed at promoting the International Day of Happiness and encouraging people to take action against climate change and its impacts. The campaign, a partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Foundation, asks the general public across the world to make the Angry Birds happy by taking actions on climate change and its impacts and sharing their photos and commitments on social media using the hashtag, which has made close to 600 million impressions so far.

The honorary ambassadorship was announced by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at UN Headquarters in New York with Sudeikis, Gad, Rudolph and "The Angry Birds Movie" filmmakers John Cohen, Catherine Winder and Mikael Hed in attendance last month.

The commemorative stamps feature Red taking action to support the UN's Sustainable Development Goal #13 on climate action, which includes suggestions to:

-- Walk, cycle, or take public transport
-- Conserve water
-- Reduce, reuse, recycle
-- Bring your own reusable bag to the store
-- Turn off the lights and unplug
-- Plant a garden or tree
Stamps are available for purchase online (https://unstamps.org/) or at the United Nations stamp counters in New York, Geneva and Vienna.

"Further to the tremendous honor bestowed upon Red from 'The Angry Birds Movie' by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, we are excited to continue our support for the United Nations in its efforts against climate change and to help share the message that we need to make every day Earth Day," said John Cohen, producer of "The Angry Birds Movie."

"The creative community makes an indelible impact on the hearts and minds of people of all ages," added Maher Nasser, Director of the Outreach Division of the UN's Department of Public Information. "We are grateful to Red and our friends at Sony Pictures for putting their talents and resources behind a fun and meaningful drive encouraging all of us to take responsibility for our planet's health. As long as these issues exist, I hope we can count on the entertainment industry to use its megaphone in this way."

About the Paris Agreement
To tackle climate change, countries adopted the Paris Agreement at the climate conference (COP21) in December 2015. Under the agreement, all countries agreed to work to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and, given the grave risks, to strive for a rise of less than 1.5 degrees Celsius. The signing ceremony marks the first step toward ensuring that the Paris Agreement enters into force as early as possible.

The Paris Agreement is closely related to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate change, and provides a roadmap for climate actions that will reduce emissions and build climate resilience. For more information, please go to: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/climatechange/

About the United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. Today, 193 countries are Member States of the world body.

About the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA)
The UNPA is the postal agency of the United Nations whose first stamps were issued in U.S. dollar denominations on United Nations Day, 24 October, in 1951, at UN Headquarters in New York. The stamps were an immediate success and sold out within days. UN stamps are now issued simultaneously at UN offices in New York , Geneva and Vienna . Each issue carries a related design theme, with different denominations for each office. The stamps are available from UNPA offices in person or by mail, and from stamp dealers, as well as at the UNPA website( https://unstamps.org/). They are valid for postage when used on mail from the UN offices in New York , Geneva and Vienna .

About "The Angry Birds Movie"
"The Angry Birds Movie" will be released in theaters by Columbia Pictures globally in May 2016.

In the 3D animated comedy, The Angry Birds Movie, we'll finally find out why the birds are so angry.

The movie takes us to an island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds - or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red (Jason Sudeikis, We're the Millers, Horrible Bosses), a bird with a temper problem, speedy Chuck (Josh Gad in his first animated role since Frozen), and the volatile Bomb (Danny McBride, This is the End, Eastbound and Down) have always been outsiders. But when the island is visited by mysterious green piggies, it's up to these unlikely outcasts to figure out what the pigs are up to.

Featuring a hilarious, all-star voice cast that includes Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids, Sisters), Bill Hader (Trainwreck, Inside Out), and Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), as well as Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live, Ghostbusters), Sean Penn (Milk, MysticRiver), Tony Hale (Veep, ArrestedDevelopment), Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele), Hannibal Buress (Daddy's Home, Broad City), Ike Barinholtz (Neighbors, Sisters), Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Jillian Bell (22 JumpStreet), Billy Eichner ("Billy on the Street"), Danielle Brooks (Orange is the New Black), YouTube stars Smosh (Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla), Latin music sensation Romeo Santos, and country music superstar Blake Shelton, who co-writes and performs the original song "Friends." The film also features brand new music from Demi Lovato, Charli XCX, Matoma, and Steve Aoki. The Columbia Pictures/Rovio Animation film is directed by Fergal Reilly and Clay Kaytis and produced by John Cohen and Catherine Winder. The screenplay is by Jon Vitti, and executive produced by Mikael Hed and David Maisel.

About the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, UNDP offers global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

About Rovio
Rovio Entertainment Ltd. is a global entertainment media company. Headquartered in Finland and with studios across the world, Rovio is the creator of Angry Birds, the casual mobile game that changed an industry and became an international phenomenon. Today Angry Birds is not only the most downloaded game of all time, it is a renowned entertainment brand that has branched out into animation, books, licensing and more. The Angry Birds Movie is slated for release globally in May 2016. www.rovio.com

About Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.